Fruit Drying Guide; Drying Vegetables - Presto Dehydro Instructions Manual

Fruit Drying Guide

Drying times are highly variable and dependent on the type and amount of food, thickness, evenness of food pieces, humidity, air temperature, personal preference,
and the age of the plant at the time of harvesting.
Fruit
Apples
Apricots
Bananas
Blueberries
Cherries
Cranberries
Figs
Grapes
Kiwi
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Pineapple
Plums/Prunes Halve or quarter and remove pit.
Rhubarb
Strawberries
Vegetables dry much faster than fruits. At the end of the drying period, moisture loss is rapid. As a result, vegetables need to be
checked often towards the end of the drying time to prevent overdrying. Food turns brown when it is overdried.
When drying smaller vegetables, such as peas or carrots, it is recommended that you use a mesh screen.* A mesh screen will help
prevent smaller foods from falling through the grates in the tray during dehydration.
Selection and Preparation
Wash vegetables to remove dirt and debris. Trim vegetables to remove fibrous or woody portions or bruised and decayed areas, peel,
and slice using the preparation information found on the Vegetable Drying Guide on pages 8 and 9. Slice or cut vegetables into pieces
that are uniform in size. See guide for pretreatment information on specific vegetables.
*Nonstick mesh screens are sold separately (see page 14).
Preparation
Peel if desired, core, and cut in rings or
slices ⅛˝ to ¼˝ thick.
Cut in half, remove pit, and cut in quarters
or ¼˝ thick slices.
Peel and cut into ¼˝ thick slices.
Remove stems. Dip in boiling water for
30 to 60 seconds and then plunge in ice
water to crack the skin.
Remove stems and pit. Cut in half, chop, or
leave whole.
Remove stems. Dip in boiling water for
30 to 60 seconds and then plunge in ice
water to crack the skin.
Remove stems. Small figs can be left
whole. Otherwise, cut in half. Dip whole figs
in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds and
then plunge in ice water to crack the skin.
Leave whole or cut in half. Dip whole
grapes in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds
and then plunge in ice water to crack the
skin.
Peel and cut into ¼˝ to ⅜˝ thick slices.
Cut in half and remove pit. May also quarter
or slice ¼˝ thick.
Peel if desired. Cut in half and remove pit.
May also quarter or slice ¼˝ thick.
Peel, core, and slice ¼˝ thick.
Peel, core, and slice ¼˝ thick.
Trim and discard leaves. Cut stalk into
¼˝ slices.
Remove the leafy crown. Halve or slice
¼˝ thick.

Drying Vegetables

Pretreatment
Ascorbic acid, ascorbic
acid mixture, or lemon
juice.
See apples.
See apples.
None
None
None
None
None
None
See apples.
See apples.
See apples.
None
None
None
None
7
Average
Drying Time
3–8 hours
7–15 hours
5–7 hours
8–16 hours
14–22 hours
9–17 hours
7–14 hours
12–20 hours
3–5 hours
5–9 hours (slices)
36–48 hours (halves or
quarters)
5–9 hours (slices)
36–48 hours (halves or
quarters)
6–12 hours
7–11 hours
7–14 hours
5–8 hours
5–11 hours